Ferrari 348

Vehicle Overview

The Ferrari 348 was designed by Leonardo Fioravanti who worked at Pininfarina and was distinguished by the retractable headlights and the side panels with blades borrowed from the Ferrari Testarossa. For this particular, the 348 is nicknamed “the little Testarossa”. In 1993, the 348 Spider with a foldable canvas top was introduced. This version also brought several updates of both aesthetic and mechanical nature to the range, and the new name of the previous TB and TS versions respectively in GTB and GTS. Power increased from 300 to 320 hp; the front wing and side skirts were now in body color unlike before which were black. The Ferrari 348, as in many previous modles, the numerical indication of the displacement was chosen for the abbreviation that names the car, 3.4 liters (3.405 cm³ to be exact) from which 34, followed by the indication of the number of cylinders 8. Instead the abbreviations “TB” and “TS” stand for “Trasversale Berlinetta” and “Trasversale Spider” respectively. The term “Transverse” refers to the position of the gearbox with respect to the longitudinal axis of the car. The V8 engine is instead mounted longitudinally. The Ferrari 348 coupé, called TB, is characterized by the typical Berlinetta bodywork while the TS is equipped with a removable hard-top that makes it fit into the type of car defined as Targa. The first speciment produced was a white 348 TS with North American specifications.